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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28487040">What Comes Next</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/jumpingjoy82/pseuds/jumpingjoy82'>jumpingjoy82</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>You Helped Me Through-Maribat [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Batman - All Media Types, Maribat - Fandom, Miraculous Ladybug</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Child Neglect, Found Family, Implied Tom and Sabine Salt, No Romance</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 16:15:03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,244</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28487040</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/jumpingjoy82/pseuds/jumpingjoy82</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Marinette was changed by the world around her, never really getting a choice. Not until she meets her newfound family, that will give her the choice she was looking for all along</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Batfamily Members &amp; Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>You Helped Me Through-Maribat [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2100456</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>232</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Prologue</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Imshookandbi/gifts">Imshookandbi</a>.</li>


        <li>
            Inspired by

            <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24706555">The Questions of One’s Self</a> by <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Imshookandbi/pseuds/Imshookandbi">Imshookandbi</a>.
        </li>
        <li>
            Inspired by

            <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24711079">A Mockingbird‘s Song</a> by <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Imshookandbi/pseuds/Imshookandbi">Imshookandbi</a>.
        </li>

    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Hope you enjoy.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p><p>Marinette didn’t start out like this. She was a normal girl with a normal life. She was <em> happy </em>.</p><p> </p><p>But it all changed when Hawkmoth came into play, creating the butterfly effect</p><p> </p><p>When she first donned the earrings, she thought she wasn’t cut out for this, and try to give away the pieces of jewelry to her best friend at the time.</p><p> </p><p>It didn’t work.</p><p> </p><p>It was for the best. She didn’t know the truths from the lies.</p><p> </p><p>Everything was okay though, she was still balancing her different lives.</p><p> </p><p>But then came Lila Rossi.</p><p> </p><p>She claimed she was best friends with Ladybug. That was the start of her tales to tell at Collège Françoise Dupont.</p><p> </p><p>Marinette tried calling her out, but no one believed her, but the person who did told her too “take the high road”</p><p> </p><p>Her crush died that day.</p><p> </p><p>They never got physical with her, just started isolating her. Making sure to stay at arm’s length;</p><p> </p><p>Her grandmère comes back. Her parents push her away even more.</p><p> </p><p>Gina starts training her so she can protect herself. Ladybug improves.</p><p> </p><p>Chat Noir is more insistent about them being soulmates. </p><p> </p><p>She refuses his advances, so he refuses to fight.</p><p> </p><p>Her parents barely acknowledge her anymore. </p><p> </p><p>It’s okay though, she has more responsibilities that they can’t find out about.</p><p> </p><p>A win-win situation in some sad ways.</p><p> </p><p>Master Fu gets compromised, Chat was of no help.</p><p> </p><p>Marinette becomes MDC, Ladybug, Guardian, and the same schoolgirl she started out with.</p><p> </p><p><em> Who am I now? </em> She wonders but never getting an answer.</p><p> </p><p>She takes back the ring. Already disappointed in who it was behind the mask.</p><p> </p><p>Her class finds out about Lila’s lies, but betrayal runs deep.</p><p> </p><p>She decides friends are a liability. She has no need for them. They just get you hurt.</p><p> </p><p>She moves out. She has to keep the box safe.</p><p> </p><p>Her parents don’t notice, they stopped talking to each other a long time ago.</p><p> </p><p>She closes off completely. Almost reaching her breaking point.</p><p> </p><p>Gabriel Agreste goes on a two-month business trip. Paris is safe from akumas for now.</p><p> </p><p>Her class has gotten a month-long trip to Gotham sponsored by Wayne Enterprises.</p><p> </p><p>This eventually brings us to Marinette becoming what she wants and finding her true family.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Marinette is at her studio getting ready for the class trip to Gotham. She decides to leave the Miracle box here instead of trying to actively keep the entire box safe, but in case something does happen, she decides to bring Kaalki with her. Only Kaalki.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>At 16, she has been fighting Hawkmoth for almost six years now. Going to Gotham will be a reprieve, she could hardly look at Tikki and Plagg’s miraculi (miraculouses?) without any of her panic rising. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Just another reminder of a burden placed upon her.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She knows that Gabriel is Hawkmoth. The problem is getting the proof.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>It makes sense. All of the dates and times line up. He is a recluse. Just a shitty person in general. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Like father like son.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>You know how it goes.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She finds solace in her designs and commissions. Something that keeps her afloat in this world of unpredictable. She only lets a select few have MDC Originals, but she still her website for the other items. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She has to make money somehow, right? She tries not to be around people in general.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She decided to make her own way towards the airport instead of riding with the class, so she is waiting in the baggage claim when they finally pulled up.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>After everyone gets their things checked out, there is an announcement for first-class to go ahead on, so Chloe, Adrien, and Marinette go ahead, while the rest of the class waits for the economy</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>During the plane ride, she tries to take a nap but is soon finding it impossible to do so. Fight or flight instincts. She has to be aware at all times. No room for failure.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>That will get you killed.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Since she is too alert to fall asleep, she works on her sketches and updates her MDC Design website until they arrive in Gotham.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <span>Since she is too awake, she decides to tell the teacher that she will be back in about an hour, going to the closest fabric shop.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>On the way there, she notices that two men are following her. Not wanting to draw attention to herself, she veers into the empty alleyway. Hearing them walk closer she turns around.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Come on girly.” The first man says, “We don’t want to hurt you, just give us all your money. ”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The other just pulls out a knife.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“Jokes on them,” </span>
  </em>
  <span> She thinks </span>
  <em>
    <span>“I know more fighting experience than they think. Hell, I know how to </span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>take down a man by pinching the right nerve endings or by hitting the correct pressure points</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>.</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Before they get a chance to do anything, Marinette leaps up and pinches the knifeman in one of the eight nerves in his neck. Effectively making him pass out.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Seeing that, the first man lunges at her, but she just repeats what she did to the knifeman, and he falls onto the ground.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Reaching into her purse, she creates a few zip ties and puts them on the men. Right when she was about to call the Gotham Police Department, Red Robin, and Red Hood dropped down in front of her.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Once she looked up at Red Hood, she was appalled. Why was his name Red </span>
  <em>
    <span>Hood </span>
  </em>
  <span>if he had a helmet?</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>As he came closer, she noticed that he was covered in the remains of the Lazurus pit. She had heard about it from the Kwamis, and knew that it gave people bloodlust and madness.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“Oh hell no.”</span>
  </em>
  <span> She thought,</span>
  <em>
    <span> “He won’t be getting any hits on me.”</span>
  </em>
  
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>When Red Hood turned away from her, she bolted, thinking about what would happen to the Kwamis if she didn’t make it. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Hearing them shouting at her to come back just made her even more afraid, which caused her to hide behind a building. Once seeing that they went past her, she went on the rooftops, avoiding cameras until she made it back to the hotel, finally calming down enough to sleep after she put everything away and changed.</span>
</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <b>- </b>
  <span>In The Batcave </span>
  <b>-</b>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>After everyone came back from patrol they all sat down to start the debriefing. Once they were all settled down, Bruce started, “Does anyone have anything to share?” Jason and Tim looked at each other until Jason relented and started talking.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Ok B, So Replacement and I were on patrol right, and we see this tiny girl putting zip ties on some men that were knocked out. SO naturally we got came and asked her if she was alright.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Then,” said Tim, “As we came closer she just looked really scared, and as soon as Hood turned, she freaking </span>
  <em>
    <span>bolted</span>
  </em>
  <span>. We tried to follow, but we ended up losing her.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>As everyone thought about what was just said, Babs decided to try to find the girl on the street cams.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, I can find her going into the alleyway, but when she starts running she was seen on a few cameras, but then she just disappears.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Bruce then decided to speak up, “What did she look like?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Couldn’t see her”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Can’t see her from the cameras either.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Then there isn’t anything we can do, good night everyone, we still have that French class touring WE in the morning.”</span>
</p>
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